


One Person

by AcesOfSpade



Series: Ace's Random One-Shot Collection [34]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, First Kiss, I didn't mean for it to be this sad, M/M, POV Second Person, Pining, Post-Galuna Island Arc, This got really dark somehow, discussion of suicidal thoughts, introspective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 09:39:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13855116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AcesOfSpade/pseuds/AcesOfSpade
Summary: You don’t really know when everything shifted, when the animosity became affection and the insults became light-hearted teasing.You just know that the thought of losing him would absolutely destroy you.And then he tries to sacrifice himself right in front of you.





	One Person

**Author's Note:**

> First and most important thing: this is only the second time I have ever posted anything in second person, and only the third time I've ever even tried _writing_ in second person. My 

You don’t really know when everything shifted, when the animosity became affection and the insults became light-hearted teasing. You just remember seeing him battered and bruised after a fight on his way to the Guild, and all of a sudden, you _knew_.

 

You knew you were hopelessly in love with that idiot ice princess you’d fought with since you were children. Seeing him injured like that sent a spike of possessive anger through your heart, an almost inaudible growl passing your lips without you realizing.

 

After that day, you were hyper-aware of every little interaction between the two of you, and how you acted around him. You didn’t want to make him uncomfortable (well, more than your fighting usually did), but you also knew if you started acting differently around him he would notice something was off. So you tried to be as normal as you could whenever you were together, but you would always fall apart once you were alone in the safety of your bed, cursing fate for putting you in this situation.

 

It was painfully obvious he wasn’t interested in you the way you were in him. He probably wasn’t even attracted to guys anyway, so your chances were even lower that something could ever come of your feelings. You forced those offending feelings to the back of your mind (to minimal success), prioritizing your friendship over anything else.

 

People didn’t think you were actually friends, with how often you were at each other’s throats. They were wrong though; he was the best friend you’d ever had, and you knew he thought the same of you. The fighting was a side-effect of your opposing magic, a natural rivalry between fire and ice. When your very beings weren’t trying to destroy each other, the bond the two of you shared was so profound that even the angels couldn’t begin to understand it. Truthfully, it was more profound than _you_ could begin to understand. Your devotion to the ice mage scared you sometimes, just based on the strength and depth of that devotion. No matter how much he pissed you off, no matter how much you fought, you know full well you’d give your life if it meant keeping him safe.

 

Once, while you were lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, you could almost remember something Igneel had told you, back when you were just a kid. It had something to do with finding just _one person_ you truly connect with and understand on a level deeper than the surface of one’s mind, and fighting to keep that one person in your life. He also made sure you understood the significance of this one person to a Dragon. This person was supposed to be the only person that essentially nullified you, not just your powers, but your temper as well. That second half seemed debatable to you, because he was the one that sparked your temper sometimes. Yet, he also calmed you down better than anyone else, even Happy. Even if he wasn’t the reason you were pissed, you always seemed to find your way to him so he could help you calm down.

 

You kept all of this bottled up for far longer than you should have, until you had almost lost him. Though neither of you were supposed to be on that island in the first place, it seemed like you _had_ to be, for different reasons. He was there to face his (inner and outer) demons in the form of Lyon and Deliora, but he was going about it the wrong way. Meanwhile, it felt like you were there to _stop_ him from going too far like he planned on. You tried to hide your racing heart with your usual bickering after you distracted him from casting the Iced Shell, but the response you got made your whole body tense, your lungs not working for a moment as you grabbed his wrist tightly, making sure he couldn’t get out of your grip.

 

Your heart started beating erratically as you spoke to him, but the even tone of your voice was pretty convincing (you hoped). You didn’t want him to see, right there in the heat of battle, how utterly _fucking terrified_ you were at the thought of losing him, especially by his own hand.

 

It was the moment you dropped his wrist that you decided to finally be honest. If both of you made it off this damned island alive, you were going to tell him. Even if he didn’t return your feelings, you wanted him to know that there were people left in the world that cared about him, that _loved_ him, and that you needed him. You needed him the way you needed fire: constantly, in order to stay strong and alive.

 

It felt like he was ignoring you as Erza spoke with the villagers, so you let him have his space, at least for a while longer. Once everything was squared away and you and the others boarded the boat back to the mainland, you left no room for him to argue when you grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him off to somewhere quiet and away from everyone else. At first, he was rightfully annoyed by your actions, but when you finally let go and he saw the look on your face, any trace of anger he felt was replaced by concern. You must’ve looked petrified, because his eyes softened in a way they hadn’t since you were kids and he found out you had nightmares. You didn’t say anything until the two of you were sitting side by side in a tight corner, tucked away on one of the ship’s lower decks. Even when you did speak, you sounded like a little kid who didn’t want to admit he was upset, because being upset is a weakness.

 

“You scared me,” were the first three words out of your mouth since boarding the ship, said so softly you feared he hadn’t heard you. You went to repeat yourself louder when you saw the guilt pass through his dark blue eyes. You took a breath to calm your nerves before you continued, looking down at your lap instead of at him. “I didn’t want to lose you, especially not like that,” you admitted, twisting one of the tassles of your scarf around your finger tightly enough to cut off the circulation before you unwound it. “I couldn’t stand the idea of just sitting back and watching you sacrifice yourself like that. If you had...” he trailed off, shaking your head slightly, causing your rosey locks to sway along with it.

 

He was quiet, but you could feel his eyes on the side of your head. You could tell he was feeling guilty, and a little bit taken aback. You kept going though, not wanting to cop out at the last minute.

 

“You don’t think anyone would be affected badly if you died, I can tell; I used to feel that way too, before I found Fairy Tail,” you continued. “But you’re wrong. There’s at least one person who wouldn’t know what to do if they lost you, because you’ve become _so important_ to them that even the idea of you not being there makes them sick. You’ve wormed your way into their worn-down heart and made yourself at home, so losing that sense of familiarity and belonging would destroy what little heart they have left. There’s people that love you, Gray, as much as you think you don’t deserve it.”

 

Your voice was wavering the longer you spoke, tears forming along the bottom of your coal-black eyes. You refused to look at him, refused to let him see just how distraught you were. He still didn’t say anything, so you started rambling to fill the tense silence.

 

“When I was a kid, Igneel told me that Dragons, and Dragon Slayers, had just one person that was essentially their entire world. One person that they would do anything to protect, because they feel like home, and they understand you in a way nobody else can. I thought he was just saying it because I was a kid, and kids apparently like that kind of thing, but then I got to know you. Sure, we fought like animals whenever we were in the same room for more than five minutes, but at least for me, it was because we’re opposites. Not personality-wise like people say can strengthen friendships or relationships, but _literal_ opposites. Every single part of me is fire, heat, warmth. And you, you’re ice. You’re cold, harsh, and you could put out my fire if you tried. But you never tried, did you? And I never tried to melt you, because I realized something a few years after I joined the guild. I realized that Igneel was right, that there would be one person in my life I couldn’t let go of, and that was _you_. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was right about you being my person. But then, you got roughed up pretty badly on your way to the guild, and I wanted to find whoever did that to you and kill them. Before then, I’d never felt so pissed off at someone I’d never met, all because they hurt you.”

 

You had to stop for a minute as tears began streaming down your cheeks, a small sob escaping your lips as you pressed your face into your hands. You could feel yourself shaking, knew you could only hold yourself together for a little longer before you completely broke down. After a few moments, you pulled your hands away from your face, wiping your tears on your wrists before you kept talking.

 

“Imagine how I felt, seeing how willingly you would give your own life to stop Lyon,” you said, voice barely above a whisper. “I had to stop you. I couldn’t let you do that. I couldn’t watch you die thinking no one cared. So here I am now, finally saying all of this out loud, because you _lived_. You’re still here, and now you know there’s at least one person that loves you so much it scares the hell out of him sometimes,” you finished, finally looking back up at him uncertainly.

 

There were too many emotions written across his face for you to decipher any of them, but when you listened more you could hear the irregular beating of his heart, and you could see his hands trembling in his lap. The longer he stayed quiet, the more you worried you’d just fucked over more than a decade’s worth of built trust and understanding. You buried yourself so deep in those thoughts that you let out a surprised noise when you felt him tackle you to the ground in a tight hug. You could feel his tears where he buried his face in your neck.

 

He didn’t let go for a while, trying to calm down his breathing and heart to actually talk without messing up.

 

“I’m so sorry,” he whipered against your neck, his breath cold against your skin. He pulled his face away from your neck, dark blue eyes meeting your coal-black for a moment before he did something you weren’t expecting.

 

As often as you’d wondered what it would feel like to kiss him, none of your ideas came anywhere close to the truth. His lips were warmer than the rest of him, but still chilling compared to the fire living under your skin. His hands were cradling the back of your head, as if to make sure you were still there. He almost seemed desparate, as if he had so many things to say but he couldn’t find the words to use. You probably wouldn’t tell him this was your first kiss, because that just sounds sad. You were nearly an adult, and yet you’d never been kissed before. The fact that it was him though, you found you didn’t care how long you’d waited for this moment, because it was worth it.

 

When the two of you finally broke apart, your foreheads pressed together, faces still mere centimetres apart. You were both panting heavily, too winded to speak for quite some time.

 

“Never scare me like that again,” you finally said, the tiniest hint of teasing in your voice. “I need my stupid popsicle alive and making up fire-based nicknames every chance he can.”

 

“I’ll try my best,” he said with a tiny smile, the sincerity in his voice reassuring you that he was telling the truth.

 

The two of you stayed like that until you both fell asleep. Since you were in a tight little corner, he ended up pretty much on top of you, but that was nothing new. You’d shared sleeping space before, but this time, it felt like he was holding tighter than his usual sleep-cuddling, keeping you where you were so you couldn’t run away. You didn’t mind.

 

As you were finally drifting off, you could’ve swore you heard a faint ‘I love you’ coming from the boy asleep on top of you, but he was already out like a light, snoring softly. Even so, you muttered out a tired ‘I love you too’ before falling asleep yourself.


End file.
